Article feeding mechanism



July 25, 1944. o. SANDBERG I I ARTICLE FEEDING MECHANISM Filed March 23,1942 v I INVENTOR. flaccvffiandezg Patented July 25, 1944 2,354,482 7ARTICLE-FEEDING "MECHANISM Oscar Sandberg, Defiance, Ohio,

Lynch .Manufacturing Corporation, Ohio, 'a'corporation of Ohio vassignorto Defiance,

Application-March 23, 1942, Serial No. 435,781

l Claims.

My present invention has to do with an article feeding mechanism forawrapping machine, such as the types shown in my Patent No. 2,208,776,issued July 23, 1940, and my copending application Serial No.317,370,.fi1ed'February 5, 1940, of which application the-present one isa continuation-in-part. One object of the invention is to provide awrapping machine in whichra candy bar conveyor conveys the bars from abar feeding conveyor to a position in registration with a wrapper,mechanism being associated with the bar conveyor to stop the machine ifan exceptionally long or thick bar, unsuitable for wrapping, isdischarged from the bar feed conveyor onto the bar conveyor.

A further object of the invention .is to provide means to stop theoperation of the wrapping machine in response to a bar that istoo longor too thick, by breaking a control circuit for the motor that normallyoperates the machine.

Still another object is .to provide a modification wherein the motor isunder the control of a starting relay and the circuit of the startingrelay is broken by the mechanism which I provide for gauging a candybar, and if it is too large, breaking the relay circuit.

With these and other objects in view, myinvention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of mydevice whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the bar'feeding' end of a wrapping machinesuch as shown in my parent application, the automatic stop devices beingshown in connection therewith;

Figure 2 is a detail view of one of the stop devices as on the line 2-2of Figure 1';

Figure 3 is a plan view on an enlarged scale showing a modification ofmy mechanism; and

Figure 4 is an end view of Figure 3 looking in the direction of thearrow 4 at the bottom of Figure 3.

The wrapping machine of my parent application has to do with thewrapping of articles, for instance, candy bars of the type commonly soldin drug and grocery stores. Only the parts of the machine essential tothe operation of the automatic stop devices of my present invention areillustrated on the drawing and will be described.

The wrapping machine has a'frame, one corner thereon. to engage the.

of which is indicated at F, and extending-from the'frame Fis a pair ofsupporting rods ID; The rods l adjacenttheir outer ends have bracketsl-2'thereon,- supporting a cross-rodi l3 which,.:in turn,.supports oneend of a bar conveyor includingj'stationary guide bars ;I 4 and -pocketsl 5'. The pockets are channel-shaped to laterally re-' ceive articlessuch as candy bars B. The pockets l5 are mounted on a conveyor chain. l6that passes around a sprocket H. The sprocket I1 is mounted on a shaftl8 journaled in bearings l9 mounted on the supporting rods H), v

There is .also a feeding conveyor 29 having therein a feed chain 2|,with projections .22 bars B and propel thern' into thepockets I5. .Theconveyor chains 15 .and

2I :are driven intermittently in timed relation froma motor .M, thedriving mechanism formg ing no part ofitheppresent invention,..and,ac-'- cordingly, notbeingshown; It is fully shown, however, in my parentapplication. v v

The motor. M is energized by a toggle switch S. A manual lever .36 isprovided for latching the toggle .switch S in on position. When the,

; lever is lowered againstthe biasof a spring. 41:

(see Figure 2) a dog 38 thereof engagesa latch 40. The latch 40 isadapted to be released by either a stop plate 42 or a sto plate 39,when; the plate 42 isengaged by the end of a candy bar, or when theplate 39 is engaged by the top of one, as will hereinafter be described,

side member 4|, the opposite side member being" shown at-4'l p The lever38 is mounted on a rock shaft 43;

suitably supported 'in bearings 44 of a bracket ingone end attachedthereto and the other end anchored on the rock shaft 43. V The slidingrod" 45is pivot edat 30to a leVerZ QieXtending down-" wardly from therock shaft; In Figures 3 and 4', I 'show 'a' modified con'structionwherein the motor M is controlled by a motor starting relay R. The relayR-is shown an;

grammatically and is of the usual constructiongf having astart button 23and a stop button 24, The start button 23, when depressed, closes thecircuit of the motor by a contact 25 bridging the contacts 26.The-contacts 2526 are-re h' at is"? carried by a rod 45 'slidablethrough a conveyor and 5| attached to the conveyor frame bars 4| and 4|.The plate 49 is secured to a rock shaft 52, journaled in the bearings,and normally assumes a position due to gravity wherein a stop screw 53contacts with the upper edge of the conveyor frame bar 41*.

plate 49.

Also secured to the rock shaft 52 is an upwardly extending arm 55connected by a spring 59 to anarm 51. The arm 51is secured to anoscillatable collar 58 having'a downwardly extending arm 59. Due togravity acting on the arm 51, the collar 58 and its arm 59 normallyassume the position illustrated in Figure 4, with the arm 59 spaced froma push-button 60. The push-button fiflextends from the switch 28 and isadapted,-

'by the arm 59, to open" upon being depressed the switch 28. l.Practical operation In the operation of the wrapping machine, assumingthat there is a proper supply of articles, such as bars B, in the feedconveyor 20, the mach'ine may be started by depressing the manualcontrol lever 36 to the position of Figure 2 which latchesthe pawl 38,under the notch 40*? of the latch 40, whereupon the toggle lever 35 ofthe switch S may be moved downwardly to on pos sition. The operator maynow place candy bars (or other articles to be. wrapped) on'the feedconveyor chain 2| between the lugs 22 thereof. Since these logs aretimed in their movement with relation to the pockets l5 each time apocket halts in alignment with the conveyor 29, a bar 23' will bedeposited in the pocket. The bars are thereuponv advanced forwardly inthe machine, past the stop plate 42. If any of the bars (such as B arelonger than the distance between the sides 4| and M they will engage thestop plate 42, or if any of themin the conveyor are too large indiameter, they will lift the stop plate 39, which causes a screw 39 toengage and raise,

and thereby release the latch 40 from the pawl 38. This operationpermits the arm 31 to be raised by the-spring 41 and move the switch Sto off position. The candy bar that struck the stopplate 39 orthe stopplate 42 is then removed from the machineby the operator as it is eithertoo thick or too long to be wrapped properly. Thereupon, the lever 36may again be depressed and the toggle lever 35 of the switch alsodepressed to running position.

. With the arrangement illustrated in Figures 3' and 4, a latchingoperation, such as described in connection with the parts 38 and 40 iseliminated, since to start the machine it is merelynecessary to depressthe start button 23. Thereupon, the machine will properly function untila bar that is too large in diameter will lift the plate 49, therebyswinging the arm 59 under bias of the spring 56 to a position contactingwith the pin 60. This will open the holding circuit at the'switch 28 sothat the relay R drops out and that is too large can be removed from thecon veyor l6. In connection with Figures 3 and 4, I have shown only onestop device, but, obviously, a stop device such as the plate 42 for abar that is too long, could be similarly arranged for opening thecircuit of another switch similar to 28 and in series circuit with it,or could be used to open the witch 28 itself., lllhe, essentialcharacteristic is the breakingg of the holding circuit of the relay R inresponse to a bar'that has a .greater dimension than required for properwrapping in the machine.

" "Some changes may be made in the construc- .tion and arrangement ofthe parts of my device themotor M is thereby stopped so that the bar.

without departing, from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, andit is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms ofstructure, or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonablyincluded within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

'1'. In'means for supplying articles to a wrapping machine, means tofeed articles to be wrapped to a wrapping position comprising a conveyorhaving. spaced .articl'e' receiving pockets therein, means fordepositing an' article in each of said pockets, means for-propellingsaid con-' veyor, a control device for said last means, manuallypositioned in inoperative position, a latch to retain it in suchposition, said conveyor having a pair of sides between which the articleis transported, and means engaged by the end of an article in any ofsaid pockets which is longer than the distance between said sides, saidlast means being operable when so engaged to release said latch andthereby stop said means for propelling said conveyor by return of saidcontrol device to its initial position. 1

2. In means for supplying articles to a wrapping machine, means to feedarticles to be wrapped to'a wrapping position comprising a conveyorhaving spaced article receiving pockets therein, means for depositing anarticle in each of said pocketsgmeansfor propelling said conveyor, acontrol devic for said last means, manually positioned ininoperativeposition, a latch to re-- tain it in such position,- and means engagedby an article which is too large to be wrapped properly, said last meansbeing. operable when so engaged to release said latch and thereby stopsaid means for propelling said conveyor by return of said controldeviceto its initial positionfi 3. In a device for supplying articles toa wrap ping machine, means to feed articles to be wrapped to a wrappingposition comprising a conveyor having spaced article receiving pockets,means for depositingan article in each of said pockets, anelectric'motor for propelling said conveyor, a manually closa-bleswitch, meansto bias said switch toward open position, a latch for latchand thereby permit said means which bias es said switch toward openposition to become operative to open the switch to stop said electricmotor and conveyor.

position comprising a conveyor having spaced 81121018 receiving pockets,means for article in each of said pockets, an

.switch, means to bias said switch-toward open 4. In a device of thecharacter disclosed, means 1 to 'feed articles to be Wrapped to awrapping depositing an" electric motor' for propelling said conveyor, amanually closable position, a latch for retaining said last means in theinoperative" position thereof, and a stop .plate engaged by the top ofany article which is too thick to be wrapped properly, said stop platebeing operable when so engaged to release said latch and thereby permitsaid means which biases said switch toward open position to becomeoperative to open the switch to stopsaid electric motor and conveyor.

5. In a device of the class described, means to feed articles to bewrapped to a wrapping position comprising a conveyor having spacedarticle receiving pockets, means for placing an article in each of saidpockets, an electric motor for propelling said conveyor, a, manuallyclosable switch, means to bias said switch toward open position, a latchfor retaining said last means in the inoperative position thereof, astop plate engaged by the end of an article in any of said pockets whichis too long to be wrapped properly, and a stop plate engaged by the topof any article which is too thick to be wrapped properly, either of saidstop plates being operable when so engaged to release said latch andpermit said means which biases said switch toward open position tobecome operative and thereby open the switch to stop said electric motorand conveyor. 7

6. In means for supplying articles to a wrapping machine, means to feedarticles to be wrapped to a wrapping position comprising a conveyorhaving spaced article receiving pockets therein, means for depositing anarticle in each of said pockets, a motor for propelling said conveyor, apush button operated starting relay for said motor having a holdingcircuit, and means engaged by the top of an article in any of saidpockets which is larger than a predetermined size, said last means beingoperable when so engaged to open said holding circuit to thereby permitreturn of said push button operated starting relay to its initialposition to effect stopping of said motor and thereby said conveyor.

'7. In a device for feeding articles to a wrapping machine, means tofeed articles to be wrapped to a wrapping position, means for placingarticles on said feeding means, electrically energized means forpropelling said feeding means, a push button for energizing said lastmeans, a holding circuit for said push button, and means engaged by anarticle which is too large to be properly wrapped in the machine, .saidlast means being operablewhen so engaged to open said holding circuit,thereby permitting said push button to return to open circuit positionand stop said electrically energized means for pro pelling said feedingmeans.

OSCAR SANDBERG.

